Richard Lane (May 28, 1899 â€" September 5, 1982) was an American
actor and television announcer/presenter. In movies he played assured,
fast-talking slickers: usually press agents, policemen, and
detectives, sometimes swindlers and frauds. He is perhaps best known
to movie fans as "Inspector Farraday" in the Boston Blackie
mystery-comedies. Lane also played Faraday in the first radio version
of Boston Blackie, which ran on NBC from June 23, 1944 to September
15, 1944. Lane was an early arrival on television, first as a news
reporter and then as a sports announcer, broadcasting wrestling and
roller derby shows on KTLA-TV, mainly from the Grand Olympic
Auditorium in Los Angeles.Richard Lane was born in 1899 in Rice Lake,
Wisconsin to a farm family. Early in life he developed talents for
reciting poetry and doing various song-and-dance acts.By his teenage
years, he was doing an "iron jaw" routine in circuses around Europe
and worked as a drummer touring with a band in Australia. After the
decline of vaudeville, Lane found work in motion pictures. He started
in small roles but producers and directors saw how well he handled
dialogue, and he soon became one of Hollywood's busiest actors,
equally skilled at drama and comedy. A shrewd businessman, Lane
insisted on a two-week guarantee for every assignment. He might work
for only a few days on a picture, but still be paid for the two weeks.
This allowed him to accept multiple jobs weekly, and with the extra
pay he soon became a seasoned investor.During World War II, he
appeared as emcee with USO troops entertaining G.I.s. His unit
appeared at Fort MacArthur in September 1944. Lane also announced for
the Jalopy Derby and Destruction Derby at Ascot Park, Gardena
California.
actor and television announcer/presenter. In movies he played assured,
fast-talking slickers: usually press agents, policemen, and
detectives, sometimes swindlers and frauds. He is perhaps best known
to movie fans as "Inspector Farraday" in the Boston Blackie
mystery-comedies. Lane also played Faraday in the first radio version
of Boston Blackie, which ran on NBC from June 23, 1944 to September
15, 1944. Lane was an early arrival on television, first as a news
reporter and then as a sports announcer, broadcasting wrestling and
roller derby shows on KTLA-TV, mainly from the Grand Olympic
Auditorium in Los Angeles.Richard Lane was born in 1899 in Rice Lake,
Wisconsin to a farm family. Early in life he developed talents for
reciting poetry and doing various song-and-dance acts.By his teenage
years, he was doing an "iron jaw" routine in circuses around Europe
and worked as a drummer touring with a band in Australia. After the
decline of vaudeville, Lane found work in motion pictures. He started
in small roles but producers and directors saw how well he handled
dialogue, and he soon became one of Hollywood's busiest actors,
equally skilled at drama and comedy. A shrewd businessman, Lane
insisted on a two-week guarantee for every assignment. He might work
for only a few days on a picture, but still be paid for the two weeks.
This allowed him to accept multiple jobs weekly, and with the extra
pay he soon became a seasoned investor.During World War II, he
appeared as emcee with USO troops entertaining G.I.s. His unit
appeared at Fort MacArthur in September 1944. Lane also announced for
the Jalopy Derby and Destruction Derby at Ascot Park, Gardena
California.
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